AFLW U18s Ones to Watch: Abbie Ballard (West Adelaide/South Australia)
IN a new series focusing on the up and coming AFL Women’s Draft hopefuls, we take a look at some names who would be among their respective states’ top draft prospects for the 2020 AFL Women’s Draft. Next under the microscope is West Adelaide talent, Abbie Ballard who had a massive game at South Australian […]
2020 SANFL season preview: Can the Bays go back-to-back?
LAST year saw a drought-breaking year in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) with Glenelg taking home its first League premiership since 1986. The Tigers were able to bounce back from a loss earlier in the finals series to take out Port Adelaide in the grand final last year. The result also meant seven […]
2020 SANFL Club Preview: West Adelaide
AFTER a tough 2019 season where injuries and the mid-season losses of John Noble and Will Snelling hampered their campaign, the West Adelaide Bloods will look to scrape themselves off the bottom of the SANFL ladder as state football returns. The road to redemption begins against last year’s ninth-placed side, North Adelaide, a team which […]
2020 AFL Draft Positional Analysis: Inside Midfielders
STRONG, big-bodied, and tall inside midfielders have been in vogue for quite a while, but this year’s crop of engine room operators comes in varied shapes and sizes. Though they may not currently have the opportunity to show their worth on the field, exposed form and long preseasons for most allow for a window into […]
Squad predictions: 2020 South Australia Under 18s
THE annual Under 18 National Championships may be the only chance we get to catch a glimpse of the class of 2020 before draft day, with a decision on the recommencement of competition pushed back to at least September. In the meantime, Draft Central takes a look at how each regional squad may line up […]
AFL Draft Watch: Riley Thilthorpe (West Adelaide/South Australia)
IN the build up to football eventually returning, Draft Central takes a look at some of this year’s brightest names who have already represented their state at Under 17 or Under 18s level in 2019. While plenty can change between now and then, we will provide a bit of an insight into players, how they […]
Preseason testing analysis: Which State has the best endurance runners?
THE current sporting hiatus serves as somewhat of an extended preseason for the nation’s brightest AFL Draft prospects, who will be itching to get back on the field. Aside from a few scratch matches on the eve of Round 1, much of the 2020 class has had little in the way of competition thus far. […]
Draft Central’s 2020 Under 22 SANFL Women’s side
A POPULAR trend in recent years with the AFL has been the traditional 22Under22 team. With so much young talent coming through the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s competition, Draft Central decided to have a crack at a similar team for the league. The challenge would be based on the 2020 season and […]
2020 SANFL Women’s team summaries: West Adelaide
WITH no football on given the current COVID-19 global pandemic, the Draft Central team takes a look at where the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s left off, and will examine each of the eight teams from reverse ladder order. Today’s team summary is West Adelaide. RECORD: 3rd (2-1-1) RESULTS: R1: defeated Sturt by […]
From junior permit to SANFL, Emma Smith has done it all
THE journey for Emma Smith has had no shortage of ups and downs, with the youngster forced to jump through hoops. But that did not deter her from playing the game she loves. “I love the game and the camaraderie that everyone else has outside thinking that women’s sport in general and in footy is […]